Fasting in Absence of the Bridegroom
The Reality and Ritual of Fasting
“Then the disciples of John came to [Jesus], saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’” – Matthew 9:14-15
One of the most influential preachers in the first thousand years of Christendom was John Chrysostom. Chrysostom served as bishop of Constantinople during the fourth century and was renowned not only for his powerful sermons, but his paltry lifestyle.
In an age known for its opulence, Chrysostom’s humble austerity was considered garish by societal elites—including many of his fellow clergymen. Indeed, his abstemiousness even offended the emperor Arcadius who eventually banished the bishop for his asceticism—an action which would lead to the churchmen’s death by exposure and serve as a grim reminder that there is nothing more despised in times of decadence than self-discipline.
I begin our discussion on fasting with Chrysostom because he has bequeathed to the Church what may be the most sweeping endorsement of the practice from the pre-modern era. Having established himself (in the most thoroughgoing way) a true believer in the discipline, it seems prudent for us to consider his reasoning.
Of the spiritual exercise he said: "Fasting is, as much as lies in us, an imitation of the angels… a school of prayer, a nourishment of the soul, a bridle of the mouth, an abatement of concupiscence: it mollifies rage, it appeases anger, it calms the tempests of nature, it excites reason, it clears the mind, it disburdens the flesh, it chases away night-pollutions, it frees from headache. By fasting, a man gets composed behavior, free utterance of his tongue, [and] right apprehensions of his mind."
The benefits of fasting, says Chrysostom, effect one’s entire being, the intellect, the affections, and the will. For the ritual clears the mind, calms the tempests of nature, and disburdens the flesh. It is a practice so broadly effectual (for Chrysostom) that it warrants as evocative, and disparate descriptors as a bridled disburdening, a calming excitement, a composed freedom. A glowing endorsement which noticeably contrasts with the much dimmer view one often finds in modern Evangelicalism.
Likely none of us needs a targeted research study (although one exists) to alert us to the fact that American Christians prefer feasting over fasting. Or, maybe it is more precise to say, feasting instead of fasting, because in the biblical view it is not an either/or proposition (where we have to choose between feasting and fasting) but rather a both/and. With fasting being the necessary preparation of the mind and body for feasting.
A BRIDGE TO FEASTING
Indeed, the biblical pattern is to fast in order to feast (as this lesson will attempt to show). The problem for many American Christians is that we have jumped right to the feasting. A sin of impatience we have (unfortunately) inherited from our primordial parents.
Basil of Caesarea, who is another fourth century bishop, makes much of the fact that the first prohibition which Adam receives in the creation narrative is an embargo on eating. Where he is not permitted to partake of “the fruit of the tree which [is] in the middle of the garden.” This, according to the good bishop, establishes what he calls a “law” or “principle” of fasting. And I think he is right about that.
But, it must also be pointed out that this divine injunction comes after a divine invitation: “Behold I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you,” (Genesis 1:29) and “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely” (Genesis 2:16).
In other words, a command to feast precedes the command to fast. And what God is actually offering Adam here, as theologian Peter Leithart points out, is not just food, but the whole of creation. Meaning that God is laying before his image bearer a world suffuse with delights and riches for him to devour. A feast that will satisfy Adam’s innate hunger as long as he partakes of it in communion with his creator. A context which helps us to put the purpose of Adam’s fasting (and the practice in general) in perspective.
In scripture, feasting is given priority over fasting. We were made ultimately to feast, not to fast. For, as we said, the first command to Adam is to “eat, drink, and be merry” not to abstain, and the same will be true for those who stand before the bounty of the new heavens and new earth.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come….’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without price.” – Revelation 22:17
“Come and feast” will be the first command given in the eschaton. Therefore, in the divine meta-narrative, while fasting is an essential part of the story, for it is the bridge to feasting, it is not the whole story for it is only a bridge, not the destination. It is not the end, in other words, but only a means to the end.
Therefore, I don’t think that Adam’s fast from the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was meant to be permanent. Rather, I think that in time God would have joyfully allowed his image bearer to partake of this fruit (also).
It’s interesting, in 1 Kings 3:9 (the text where God praises Solomon concerning his request for wisdom, rather than worldly riches or fame) it speaks of the “knowledge of good and evil” as a “discernment for administrating justice.” Thus, this knowledge is a kind of “royal insight, or judicial wisdom,” as Leithart puts it. The very kind of discernment required for one to serve as a vice-regent over God’s good creation. Adam’s original vocation.
The wisdom needed to exercise dominion over the earth. A wisdom which is the result of maturity and thus (normally) can only come through experience, as the Hebrew writer makes plain.
“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” – Hebrews 5:14
As a newborn babe, naked and naive in the garden, Adam was not ready to partake of the rich fruit which would provide him the knowledge of good and evil. He needed to start with milk, so that in time he could digest such meat. Which means that the only way for Adam to fully enjoy the benefits of the feast of this knowledge, was for him to keep the fast. Was for him to abstain from the fruit until he, and it, were ready. A pattern which applies not only to this particular tree (nor even just to food), but to everything that God had offered Adam.
Again, I quote Peter Leithart: If Adam was going to feast on the fruit of the other trees, he would have to “dress and keep the garden.” If he was going to mine that gold, the good gold, down in Havilah (Genesis 2:11—12), he would have to trudge down there, or sail down the Pishon River, and start digging.
THE SPIRITUAL REALITY OF FASTING
The feast, in other words, is the reward for those who complete the fast. For those who don’t impatiently grab for the prize, but for those willing to do the work necessary in order to possess it in the proper manner. Meaning that there is no shortcut to feasting, because there is no shortcut to maturity. No fast pass to wisdom. Knowledge is not just a few keystrokes away, as we are told today.
No, truth, especially divine truth, must be wrestled to the ground before its blessing will be bestowed. It must be striven with and for, earned the hard way through constant toil and practice. One of the reasons why the leaders of the church are described as elders. Men who have had time to learn through experience.
This is a law of nature which cannot be supplanted (except by divine fiat— like in Solomon’s case). If Adam was to partake of the full bounty of what his Father was offering him, he would have to patiently labor for years, fasting until he and the fruit were ripe enough for him to eat.
But, of course, neither he, nor Eve were willing to wait.
“For [they] saw that the tree was good for food, and [desirable] to make one wise, [and] took of its fruit and ate.” – Genesis 3:6
Adam’s sin, then is one of impatience. He wanted the entire feast of creation, now. He wanted a shortcut to wisdom and blessing, which was exactly what the serpent offered him. Wisdom, honor, and glory on the cheap. A promise to become like God with a single bite. A promise whose luster vanished at the first taste.
In contrast, Jesus, as the last Adam, kept the fast and thus was given the full bounty of the Father’s provision. For he is the one who resisted the devil’s temptation to satiate his hunger (by taking the shortcut) and turning stones to bread, as well as the shortcut to obtaining world-wide acclaim by manipulating the Father’s faithfulness (throwing himself off the high point of the temple forcing the sending of angels to rescue him, creating a great spectacle for all to wonder at)—"who is this man whom the angels rescue?”, as well as the shortcut to gaining victory over sin by avoiding paying its costs (exultation apart from humiliation).
Again and again, Jesus was tempted to break the fast, to take the shortcut to kingship, but he never did. Instead, he patiently endured and labored, learning obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect (coming to maturity), he was given all glory and honor and dominion. By resisting temptation in this way, he sets the pattern for true fasting, not merely a periodic liturgical practice, but a “Lenten way of life,” as Leithart calls it.
The problem with our age, and with the many American Christians who are caught up in it, is that we jump right to the feasting. Our lack of liturgical fasting is a sign of this impatience. Of our desire to skip right to the reward. To purchase wisdom and power and dominion on the cheap. When such feasting has to be earned through fasting.
An Illustration: New and young Christians today, I’ve noticed, tend to develop these grand visions of how God is going to use them in the kingdom. And when things don’t seem to be heading in the right direction, or progressing as they should, they tend to become impatient and deflated. They exhibit a restless naïveté which reminds us of Adam, and which inclines them to reserve themselves for the big ministry opportunities (to hold out for the grander tasks), while missing all of the more modest occasions which are meant to prepare them for greater responsibility.
They neglect Jesus’ teaching that one must first prove himself faithful in small things, before God will grant him greater duties [and that principle of the lesser to the greater scales, meaning that if you want to lead God’s people as Abraham did—if you want that amount of responsibility, then you will have to pass a Mount Moriah level of testing to prove yourself worthy].
In other words, the young in faith forget the long and trying periods of maturation which formed great biblical figures such as Moses, and David, and Paul. A perfecting delay which is an act of kindness on God’s part. Count God’s slackness in fulfilling your ministry dreams a blessing, for you can’t jump from the mailroom to the front office without catastrophe being the result.
And not just for your fellow laborers, and the institutions they serve—which others have built, but for yourself. You don’t want to lunge at a larger responsibility before you are ready for it. Believe me, that’s the devil tempting you with a shortcut. Even if it is a Christian offering it to you!
God’s plan is for a long and slow maturation process. For there is no other path to wisdom. Therefore, be content in the small things. Do not despise the season of fasting for in time it will lead to true feasting.
But that requires patience, and we live in a time, as we said, of instant gratification. So, we don’t want to wait, and we end up eating unripened fruit. Which always ends in bitter disappointment and desolation. Just as it did in the garden. That’s the pattern. What we might call the principle of fasting (as opposed to the observed practice).
Fasting, in principle, is the bridge to feasting. We fast in order to feast. A principle which cannot be circumvented. To skip to the feast leads only to frustration.
Now that we have laid out the spiritual reality of fasting (fasting as a way of life), we can speak about the ritual which is its sign. The spiritual discipline of abstaining from food. Which brings us to our text.
A DESIRE FOR UNION
In Matthew 9 the disciples of John the Baptist come to Jesus and inquire as to why he and his disciples are no longer fasting. And the Messiah answers them with a vivid metaphor. He says, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?"
This evocative imagery, of God as the husband of his people is an important one in scripture. We find it in numerous places in the Old Testament. One of the most vivid being:
“You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” – Isaiah 62:4-5
Such imagery reveals God’s strong desire for union with his people. A union of such intimacy, that he describes it as a marital bond. And now, with the coming of the Messiah, the Bridegroom has arrived and it is time for the marriage ceremony to begin. Thus, it is not a time of fasting, but feasting.
For all of the years of faithful abstinence on the part of the Jews (the work of preparation for the coming of the Messiah, the wandering in the wilderness, the building and rebuilding of the temple and the city, etc.) has led up to this moment. After a thousand years of working and hoping and longing, the bridegroom has finally arrived!
In the fullness of time, he has come. And his bride is ready to receive him. Thus, the lack of fasting on the part of the disciples is a witness to the presence of God in their midst. Thus, the ritual of fasting (in part) is to demonstrate one’s longing for Christ and his coming kingdom. Since the Messiah is in their presence, the disciples do not fast.
But then Jesus says, "The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." The bridegroom will soon depart on a journey, says Jesus, to go and prepare a place for himself and his bride. A mansion within the city gates of the new Jerusalem. While he is away, then his bride will fast. Serving as an outward sign of her inward yearning for the return of her groom.
This is the age in which we find ourselves. For the groom has yet to return. So, we fast to demonstrate our longing for Christ and his coming kingdom. This time, for the kingdom to come in its fullness. A longing to partake of the full feast, of which we have only had a taste.
Thus, the ritual of fasting is deeply associated with a hunger for God’s presence. As our body aches for food and thirsts for drink, so our hearts are to long for our creator and the fullness of his blessing. As the bride yearns to be reunited with her groom and to dwell in the house he has prepared for her.
I think that John Piper is on to something when he speaks of ritual fasting as a bodily intensification of the prayer: maranatha. Fasting in prayer, according to Piper, “is a physical exclamation point at the end of the sentence, ‘We hunger for you to come in power, O God.’”
“It is a cry with your body,” saying: "I hunger for you, Lord! This much, I thirst for you."
So, fasting is a way to intensify our longing for the kingdom. To more deeply express (and feel) our desire for God’s renewing presence. It is a way to bring our body into it. This is the power of participatory metaphors. Our hunger for food is analogous to our hunger for God, and thus if we intensify the former, we can intensify the latter.
Therefore, these are practices which can direct our hearts toward the future fullness of God’s blessing through our bodies (which means that we shouldn’t just be fasting but breaking the fast with feasting and celebration in order to complete the narrative, giving us a foretaste of the glory to come). So that we may be buffered against impatience and foolish settling for the blandness of unripened fruit, which the evil one tempts us with.
This ritual helps to set our appetite for the full-flavored feast of the coming kingdom. It turns us into food snobs, if you will. Providing us the “right apprehensions of the mind” as Chrysostom said. All of which exhorts us to make ourselves ready for the groom’s return, adorning ourselves with fine linen, bright and pure, which represents our good works, but also adorning our holy cities, the nations whose glory and honor will be brought into the new Jerusalem according to Revelation 21:26.
So, the practice of fasting has sacramental power, it is a means of grace by which we are able to more fully resist the sin of Adam. The sin of impatience. “An abatement of concupiscence,” as Chrysostom said. Reminding us of the inviolable principle that feasting only comes through fasting. That if we wish to partake of the full bounty that the Father is offering us, we must fast until we and the fruit of salvation are ripe enough for us to eat. So that when the Groom returns, he will find his bride and his nations adorned for the feast.
Video Link: Fasting in the Absence of the Bridegroom: The Reality and Ritual of Fasting - YouTube